Mike Lazaridis | |
|---|---|
 Lazaridis in 2014 | |
| 8thChancellor of theUniversity of Waterloo | |
| In office 2003–2009 | |
| Preceded by | Val O'Donovan |
| Succeeded by | Prem Watsa |
| President/Vice Chancellor | David Johnston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mihal Lazaridis (1961-03-14)March 14, 1961 (age 64)[1] Istanbul, Turkey |
| Alma mater | University of Waterloo (dropped out in 1984, honorary degree in 2000) |
| Occupation | Founder & Managing Partner, Quantum Valley InvestmentsFounder,BlackBerry Limited |
| Known for | |
| Awards | |
Mihal "Mike"Lazaridis (born March 14, 1961) is aGreek Canadian businessman, investor inquantum computing technologies, and co-founder ofResearch In Motion, which created and manufactured theBlackBerry wireless handheld device. In November 2009,Canadian Business ranked Lazaridis as the 11th wealthiest Canadian, with an estimated net worth ofCA$2.9 billion.[3]
Lazaridis served in various positions including co-chairman and co-CEO of BlackBerry from 1984 to 2012 and Board Vice Chair and Chair of the Innovation Committee from 2012 to 2013. As an advocate for the power ofbasic science to improve and transform the world,[4] he co-founded Quantum Valley Investments in March 2013 with childhood friend and BlackBerry co-founderDouglas Fregin to provide financial and intellectual capital for the further development and commercialization of breakthroughs inquantum information science.[5] In 1999 he founded thePerimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, where he also serves as board chair.[6] In 2002, he founded theInstitute for Quantum Computing.[7] He is also a formerchancellor of theUniversity of Waterloo, and an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC).
Lazaridis was born in Istanbul, Turkey, toPontic Greek parents, Nick and Dorothy Lazaridis with original lineage to the island ofChios. He was five years old when his family moved toCanada in 1966, settling inWindsor, Ontario.[1] At age 12, he won a prize at theWindsor Public Library for reading every science book in the library.[8]
In 1979, he enrolled at theUniversity of Waterloo inelectrical engineering with an option incomputer science. In 1984, Lazaridis responded to arequest for proposal fromGeneral Motors (GM) to develop a network computer control display system.[9] GM awarded him a contract. He dropped out of university that year, just two months before he was scheduled to graduate. The GM contract, a small government grant, and a loan from Lazaridis's parents enabled Lazaridis, Mike Barnstijn, and Douglas Fregin to launchResearch In Motion. One of the company's first achievements was the development ofbarcode technology for film. RIM plowed the profits from that intowireless data transmission research, eventually leading to the introduction of theBlackBerry wireless mobile device in 1999, and its better-known version in 2002.
In 2000, Lazaridis founded and donated more than $170 million to thePerimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.[10][11] He and his wife Ophelia founded and donated more than $100 million to theInstitute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo in 2002.[7] In 2015, Lazaridis donated $20 million toWilfrid Laurier University for a new technology-focused management institute at the business school, which was renamed in his honour as the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics.[12][13][14]
On October 21, 1999, Lazaridis received an honorary doctor of engineering degree from the University of Waterloo, and in June 2003, he became their eighthchancellor. He was listed onMaclean's Honour Roll as a distinguished Canadian in 2000 and namedCanada's Nation Builder of the Year for 2002 by readers ofThe Globe and Mail newspaper. In 2006, he was made anOfficer of the Order of Canada and a member of theOrder of Ontario.[15] In 2014 he was elected aFellow of the Royal Society.[16] His nomination reads:
Father of what has become known as thesmartphone, Mike Lazaridis is recognized in the global wireless community as a visionary, innovator and engineer of extraordinary talent. He is the founder of RIM and the creator of the BlackBerry. Since 1999, he has made the primary donations establishing the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and the University of WaterlooQuantum-Nano Centre. The Perimeter Institute has already become an international beacon fortheoretical physics and IQC is widely regarded as the leading centre ofquantum information science worldwide. Together, these institutes have transformed physics in Canada and made a major impact internationally.[2]
Lazaridis received anAcademy Award in 1999 fortechnical achievements relating to the creation of a high-speed barcode reader used in film editing.[17] The same invention received anEmmy in 1994.[18]
In 2020, he purchased the 80 m (262 ft) yachtArtefact. The custom build by the shipyardNobiskrug won awards for its exterior design, and for using hybrid electric technologies.[19]
Lazaridis and his wife Ophelia have also been noted for their philanthropic work in the Waterloo area. In 2018, they donated ten million dollars to theStratford Festival for the reconstruction of theTom Patterson Theatre.
Lazaridis is portrayed byJay Baruchel in the 2023 filmBlackBerry.[20]
Media related toMike Lazaridis at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related toMike Lazaridis at Wikiquote| Business positions | ||
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| Preceded by Company Founded 1984 | BlackBerry Co-CEO (withJim Balsillie) 1984-2012 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Chancellor of theUniversity of Waterloo 2003–2009 | Succeeded by |
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